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One Day in September

Name: One Day in September
Genre: Documentary, History
Released: 1999-10-22
Cast: Michael Douglas, Ankie Spitzer, Jamal Al Gashey, Gerald Seymour, Axel Springer

1999 | 94 min | Documentary, History

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

Critics loved it (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite soft box office. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for the curious and history buffs.
The mood: Eye-opening.
The pace: Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 34 min.
What might put you off: Rated R: meant for adults.

The full story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli revenge operation 'Wrath of God.' The 1972 Munich Olympics were interrupted by Palestinian terrorists taking Israeli athletes hostage. Besides footage taken at the time, we see interviews with the surviving terrorist, Jamal Al Gashey, and various officials detailing exactly how the police, lacking an anti-terrorist squad and turning down help from the Israelis, botched the operation.

How it earned its rating

CriticsVery strong
97% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82 on Metacritic
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsSolid
Won 1 Oscar: Best Documentary Feature Film.
Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 32K people sought it out in the past year, and interest is climbing

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Kevin Macdonald

Michael DouglasSelf - Narrator (voice)
Ankie SpitzerSelf
Jamal Al GasheySelf
Gerald SeymourSelf
Axel SpringerSelf (archive footage)
Gad ZahariSelf
Shmuel LalkinSelf
Manfred SchreiberSelf
Walter TrogerSelf
Ulrich K. WegenerSelf